BXBX NOVEL Chapter 168: I Do. [1/2]
"Aki, what are you saying?"
The ninja in front of me turned around and threw a shuriken at the table.
"NOOO!!!!!!"
My heart raced as I wondered who would be hit by her deadly weapon. {Aim} and {Snipe} activated, tracking the eastern projectile's trajectory. To my surprise, the ninja star was about to bury itself harmlessly in the middle of the table.
Freed from one worry, I checked on my second family. They all collapsed on their chairs, seemingly lifeless.
'Please, let them be okay!'
As if to answer my plea, my senses were heightened to superhuman levels by {Perceive} and {Listen}. Despite the distance, I saw the Simmons' faces. Their expressions didn't show any pain, and all four of them were still breathing, albeit faintly.
Although I was a complete novice to poisons, even I could tell that my family was okay for now. Most deadly poisons killed by damaging the heart or bloodstream, unless it wasn't found in nature, they would always cause some kind of discomfort to manifest.
Pain, difficulty breathing, rashes, delusions, burning sensations, or fever. These were often present whenever a foreign substance entered the body. My family seemed to just sleep despite the earlier warning.
'Got to focus on Aki for now. I hope they are alright.'
Not doubting Jasmine and Josephine's {Fates}, I focused on my current circumstances.
Aki was calm as she armed herself with a short blade. Even though her face and curves were mesmerizing right now, all I could see was a cold and ruthless Reaper.
"Smith-san, even in this situation, your focus remains on your precious family. How admirable."
Aki was extremely powerful at close range, as the brief exchange at the dinner table proved. Even though I had the {Withstand} and {Carry} families of {Fate}, I couldn't put up much of a fight.
Aki's throw looked like it came from Judo, which meant that in addition to Ninjutsu, this woman probably knew unarmed martial arts as well. Even during the Enlistment, her physical abilities were above those of a normal person.
She could run as fast as the Descendants, and she could handle being surrounded by the undead. If I wanted to have a chance to survive, I had to figure out how to defeat her.
"{Reveal}." I whispered softly.
{Reveal} was hardly a flashy {Kismet}, but it was one of the reasons I could fight without fear. Knowing where to hit an opponent for maximum damage was the quickest way to win a fight.
Armor, regeneration, even combat prowess could all be defeated by a well-placed hit, provided you hit where it would do the greatest damage possible. The certainty of knowing such critical information allowed me to fight with ferocity, as I had only one goal.
Unfortunately, despite calling upon my {Kismet}, nothing happened.
'What the hell is going on?'
This was the first time that my {Kismet} didn't activate after invoking its keywords. Thinking it was just some kind of misfire, I tried invoking {Reveal} once more.
"{Reveal}."
But the same thing happened. I immediately tried to stand up as panic began to envelop my body.
"Smith-san. Despite having to fight me, you do not fear. You have not given up hope even though you know that I hold your family's life in my hands. Truly amazing."
I had no idea why Aki didn't attack me immediately like she did before. But the delay would help me figure things out.
"Aki, why are you doing this? Aren't we allies?"
[Exa. Are you there? What the hell is going on?]
As I spoke, I used {Connect} and called out to my AI. But instead of hearing her voice, there was only silence.
"Smith-san, as a Phantom, I have already gained the ability to see souls. I find it truly wonderful that even after a {Fate} overload, you still found a way to retain some of your abilities."
"{Fate} Overload?"
I remembered the message I heard before Aki went crazy.
'Mithridat Class 2 poison detected. Poison neutralized by {Digest}. {Fate} overload detected. All {fate} loans have been purged.'
"{Fate} loans have been purged," I repeated anxiously.
"Correct, this is one of the fastest ways to kill a reaper. And the very reason why most Reapers only use the abilities of their {Kindred} and Soulgears."
[Exa! Exa! Answer me!] I yelled inwardly.
When my AI didn't respond, I used {Code} to quickly check my status.
___
Name: Limitless
Rank: Wraith
Soul Capacity : {Fate} 1/8 | {Kismet} 0/7
Souls Available : 132,302 | To evolve: 20,000
{Fates}
1. {Rewind} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Reload}, {Regen} Sup: {Save}, {Auto}
{Kindred} : ???????
{Kismet} : N/A
Soulgear: {Honey Trap}
___
"..."
At the worst possible scenario I could imagine, I frowned. I no longer had access to any {Fates} except my own. Since {Kismet} were created from the union of {Fates}, it made sense why I was lost the ones I had created with the {Fates} of others.
Aki on the other hand was the owner of the {Eat} family of {Fates}. On top of {Eat}, {Gather} gave her photographic memory, while {Digest} allowed her to neutralize poisons to a certain degree.
Blood began to drip from my wounds as I tried to figure out what to do next. It was lucky that {Regen}, my life-saving ability, was part of my own {Fate}.
"{Regen}."
"It seems that you already understand what I mean. Smith-san, as someone who has fought by your side, I would like to give you one small piece of comfort. I swear on my {Fate} that I will do no harm to your family, no matter what."
Despite the merciless attitude of the one in front of me, I could feel the sincerity of her words.
Ninja were masters of assassination even in manga and anime. If someone like her had wanted to kill them, they would have been dead before I arrived at the house.
Just like the fake throw from earlier, Aki had yet to harm my family.
"Aki, why did you save Alana?"